"Sometimes people can really shut down and the horses can get in there and reach in and welcome them back to being present. The horses are gifted. It's all them."

Jennifer Semach is the founding Executive Director and program facilitator of Walkabout Farm Therapeutic Riding Association, a charitable organization in Minden, Ontario that offers free mental and physical health services on 100 acres of land with the help of therapeutic support animals: horses, cats, and rabbits. She also brings miniature horses to visit residents and their families in long-term care.

Equine therapy promotes the physical, neurological, and emotional well -being of all through human and animal interactions.

Learn more about Walkabout Farm: https://walkaboutfarmtra.com/

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

"You don't know what's going wrong. And you have all these theories, but it's a long time before dementia is one of the hypotheses..."

Fay Martin is a retired social worker who lives in Haliburton County, a small rural community in Ontario. She cared for her husband, who had dementia, until his death in 202. He died with - but not of - dementia, sparing them the ravages of the later stages of that disease. Nevertheless, it knocked their lives sideways.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

What is person-centered care and how does it contribute to a 'good' death? We spoke with Kristen Lew-Byrne, a registered social worker who talked to us about patient-centered care, and how social workers work with team members, residents and families to help achieve a good death means for each individual.

Kristen Lew-Byrne is a registered social worker who has worked alongside and supported residents and their families within long-term care for 11 years. She works from a holistic person-centered approach, which consists of intersecting psychosocial pieces and needs. Kristen is passionate about taking an ongoing palliative approach and redefining end of life care and what a good death can look like for residents in long-term care.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

"Nurse Practitioners are well positioned to help residents and families navigate their life limiting illness. We have the knowledge and skillset to provide their primary medical care, their maintenance therapies, and the treatment of chronic illness flareups. I think the value add is that we can also integrate this approach and philosophy throughout the continuum of care."

Nurse Practitioners play a significant role in long-term care, but many homes do not have one on the team. We spoke with Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Burgess about the role and how NPs can support other team members by modelling conversations, and how they are part of a holistic effort to integrate a palliative approach in long-term care.

Jennifer Burgess is a primary healthcare nurse practitioner who has been caring for older adults and within the long-term care sector for 20 years. She has been a direct care provider as a charge nurse and educator, a collaborator with community partners, and is now a nurse practitioner. For the past 10 years, she has been fortunate to have many wonderful mentors in palliative care that initially sparked her interest in helping those who are approaching end of life and who are at the end of life.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

"I think a lot of people, when you say the word palliative, they think the end of life is imminent. And that's not the case at all. These are conversations that should be starting to happen on move in or even before move-in."

Sarah Murphy is a licensed practical nurse and the assistant director of care at The Hamlet's long-term care community in Vernon, British Columbia. She has been working long-term care for eight years and has served as a Care Service Lead, Care Coordinator, and now the Assistant Director of Care.

In this episode, we spoke with Sarah about the benefits and drawbacks of pre-printed orders, and the need to distinguish between palliative and end-of-life care.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

How do we support the elderly and their loved ones as they transition through the phases of end of life? Registered Nurse Ryan Collins talks with us about how the Palliative Performance Scale tool and courses through the SPA-LTC program have helped him adapt care strategies for long-term care residents to ensure that they get the care that's right for them.

Ryan Collins is a registered nurse and palliative care champion at a long-term care facility in St. John, New Brunswick. Along with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Nursing, Ryan has experience working in acute care settings in both Calgary and New Brunswick.

As a palliative care champion, Ryan aims to provide a comforting end of life phase to the elderly and their loved ones when transitioning through a time of grief, sorrow, and uncertainty.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

Dr. Melanie Leger is a palliative care physician in Moncton, New Brunswick. She recently developed standardized templates for order sets in palliative, to help guide community and long-term care health professionals as they review and update palliative protocols. The templates also increase efficiency by adding medication quantities and refill orders that can double as a prescription.

"Some of our nursing homes had order sets, but some didn't. This project made me realize that some of these order sets were sometimes dated. It made me think that having it reviewed by palliative care specialists can help make sure they are up to date and evidence-based."

The SPA-LTC podcast has been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Long Term Care Podcasts on the web!

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

How do we address the issues of health equity when jurisdictional issues create a gap between two systems of care? We spoke with Holly Prince about the barriers to care for Indigenous peoples, and the importance of equitable access to palliative care within Indigenous communities.

Holly Prince is an Anishinaabekwe and a member of Opwaaganisiniing in Northwestern Ontario. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is a Ph.D. Candidate in Educational Studies at Lakehead University. Holly’s research focus is on decolonial and Indigenous education and health, and community-based research.

Holly is the Lead for the Indigenous People's Health and Aging Division at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health, Lakehead University, where she works as a Project Manager. A part of her role involves planning, implementing, and evaluating palliative care education and health equity initiatives for Indigenous peoples across Canada. Holly is also the Project Lead for the Canadian Virtual Hospice’s LivingMyCulture.ca project.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/